Bitou Mayor endorses the vital work of Adopt A Swimmer

WALKING THE ROAD TOGETHER:Mayor Memory Booysen and Adopt A Swimmer’s Louise Auersperg at the Municipal Award Ceremony where Plett’s first citizen pledged his support for the programme.

The Annual Municipal Award Ceremony was held at Piesang Valley community hall on January 29, when 67 students and 12 NPOs were awarded grants in aid. Adopt A Swimmer (AAS) was one of the organisations that received an award.

Said CEO Louise Auersperg after the ceremony: “I am privileged and hum­bled to have been selected and am most grateful to the mayor and his team. Their acknowledgement has ena­bled me to enrol more of our vulnerable children into this programme, which teaches them the valuable life skill of swimming.”

Plett is the birthplace of Adopt A Swimmer in 2012 and it was officially regis­tered as an NPO in March 2013. It is run in George by Erica Menton – an AAS mem­ber who is also a Paralympics coach – “and,” explained Louise, “together it is our aim and ambition to grow Adopt A Swimmer nationwide”.

Since its inception, four stu­dents have joined the Nippers development programme run by Chas Frazier, and nine youngsters have joined Plett’s Micro Nippers, with another two kids moving on to U/12 and U/14 respectively.

“Swimming has given our children confidence, integrity and self-worth,” said Louise. “Thank you to Plett Surf for its sponsorship, Nipper offic­er Chris Fermor and adminis­trator Gerhard van Huyssteen for fundraising and support, and to Jane Donald and her team for helping with trans­port to swimming and Nip­pers practice.”

She also thanked Naneri Nel, who is doing her com­munity service with AAS and has spent endless hours as a safety officer and assis­tant in the pool, and wished Justin, Dylan, Kelly, Kamva and Pina all the best for their first Micro Nipper champs on March 7.

“Plett and the larger Bitou community always manage to find ways to generate and distribute funds to the many life skills projects in our Bay,” Louise concluded. “It is an honour to now have the mayor and his council walk the road with us.”